There are many people who are laughing at those who say that the Lord is planning on a return. Some of it has been brought on by the date setters and the radical fringe who have made a mockery out of that event. But the reality is that many deny Christ’s return because they hate the thought of divine retribution. They want the freedom to pursue all kinds of lustful pleasures without any fear of future punishment. As we evaluate our culture and our world situation, we see that the attitude and actions of the world and the church point to the reality that the return of the Lord is at hand. What does that mean for us as we consider this reality?1. We need to make sure that our relationship with Christ is based on the clear teaching of the Word of God.2. We need to seek to honor the Lord every day with our actions and thinking.3. We need to understand the truth so that we can continue to be a beacon of hope and help to our community.4. We need to live in the hope that is provided by understanding that this world is moving rapidly toward … READ MORE

Why is the world and the church in such a terrible state? 2 Timothy 4:3-4 tells us, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” The Word “endure” means to “hold one’s self firm and erect,” and describes people who will not take a definite stand for the things of Christ. The reason for this is because sound doctrine is a stinging rebuke to ungodly living that is unacceptable and intolerable to those who persist in sin. Those who live contrary to sound doctrine resent and resist the teaching’s which are clearly presented in the Word of God. The problem is that the minds and hearts of those who reject God’s truth become spiritually dislocated. When God’s truth is knowingly rejected, Satan’s falsehood is inevitable, though often unknowingly, embraced. In other words, a deliberate rejection of God’s truth makes a person vulnerable to Satan’s myths. We find ourselves in a day and age, where people no longer want to know what the Bible says, they are … READ MORE

While most of us understand that we are to forgive others for their sinful words and actions against us. Many of us do not know what that looks like. We have heard the adage “forgive and forget,” but when we attempt to forgive we find that forgetting is very difficult if not impossible because of the emotions that are involved in the incident. Today, I want to encourage you with the knowledge that forgiving is not necessarily forgetting (although with time that can happen), forgiveness is primarily a choice not to hold someone accountable for their words and actions. We are choosing instead to treat the person as if they never did or said those things. In Psalm 103:12, God reminds us that “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” We also read in Jeremiah 31:34 that the Lord says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” The point here is that when we are tempted to dwell on the sin of others against us, we choose not to allow our thinking to go there, we remember that we have extended to the … READ MORE